Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
4 d% P; b  v, J, J$ h5 c" z! ?' A> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
4 v3 w, ?3 u: J> same choice?
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" H1 n; K/ U! i/ B% ~> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
; J/ d9 R" p/ A; `> staff, he offered a question:
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! ?- G6 G' z2 I. ]* }> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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; {( f  L. }6 u$ b1 f3 a> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
, j! q' v5 k0 ?  o1 u0 F  s. V> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
2 r7 L2 h! I( Y2 v; D/ _. w> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
) T, J' h% b0 z/ N6 U0 u! i5 V! b> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
/ ]9 u, O: U" e( M> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
, Y8 P+ l; k( ]- U% R- M# T8 z> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
  v& d. `* N" e7 F# G( r> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
5 b2 R# P" J4 b8 x> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
' G/ q; Z; d, x, k$ j> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
5 q) u0 w  e2 u) i$ \6 D> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
+ T  d, l8 @" s# q3 E> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
' |. Q: [0 t5 m1 d" m# W> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
  A1 o/ ~9 p$ Q% E* l/ l+ g> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
- [( u; W6 u( ^: J$ e! Z> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
- r7 t' c( p; g6 \: F& L> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
9 C- B; ^& }- H: j> next at bat.
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' P( N$ p5 B) Z> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
4 p2 d4 K, j" [> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
6 \/ I" S+ u7 d" O- e' ^9 [: F; w> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
) A% k, [  {3 Z+ I> much less connect with the ball.
4 v# }+ e6 O' H> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
: k* p& Q6 m5 t$ @2 ?> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
5 I: c% b  g2 x$ G" ~/ D4 q> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
; k0 Y+ ~. P4 U$ I$ P" p8 K> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
$ b4 |7 J* d. s/ Z! h> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
3 D& e) I  u* U+ Z6 D> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
8 Y. ?" K4 e  b: k5 `% C4 V- z> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
3 P& E9 V7 j" ]( S> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
) a& k% q5 W; W7 z7 y> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
8 l( u, P* R7 E4 @> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
, Q. o, {- z( h) P1 f* B> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
, u8 k1 F$ L0 N: O" p> Shay, run to third!'
>
1 j; M  Z" {4 O" G( A7 o> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
% J4 c. h$ H- D$ x1 O  I> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
/ O$ k0 g2 g$ X> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
7 h: j# s, Q" v! u0 h' M> game for his team.
>
$ W5 y- t+ R% \  w8 R> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
. `8 p, X7 n$ }+ g! K' L" N9 g2 Z3 g6 D> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
1 ]9 ]' U0 p, U  V" u+ a+ K> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
& k. O2 J* J8 p/ N& R$ g> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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! N8 h+ P  W* i& W( z1 |> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
3 ]4 ^0 [6 @8 c# G& v& r; S% `6 ?> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
3 d2 L- c) Y0 c8 D$ l% N> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
+ C4 ?& c3 H$ j. f+ w& x! X> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
5 z1 Q0 }+ \" m0 A> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
" p& r- m# _& O& N% p7 K> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
1 x) H2 \5 E' n# K>
8 @/ `" m0 [/ Q' Q/ X4 F6 v$ L9 A> You now have two choices:
4 i0 r/ l1 V0 M; F; b> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.